good tuesday morning. here's what's coming up on "early today." developing overnight, police have new details from the shooting scene at a popular north new jersey shopping mall including the body of the shooter inside that mall. it is election day. across the country voters weigh in on their candidates of choice and the issues important to them. bullying in the nfl. the latest details from the miami dolphins saga. "early today" starts right now. this is "early today" for tuesday, november 5th. good morning. i'm alex witt. breaking news this morning involving last night's new jersey mall shooting. police say the suspected gunman was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound inside that mall. they've identified him as

20-year-old richard shoop. ron allen is outside the mall. ron, what can you tell us? >> reporter: alex, this is that nightmare scenario that so many people fear at a mall. 9:30 at night just before the mall was about to close, there are reports of a gunman opening fire. a number of witnesses we talked to said that they heard four, five, six shots. the gunman was dressed in black clothing wearing a motorcycle helmet. police have identified him as a 20-year-old man from the area named richard shoop, unemployed, unclear what his motive was other than suicide, police said. he had the opportunity to shoot at people, but authorities say he did not. he shot randomly in the air at other property, but he did not try to kill anyone. they found his body some six hours later deep in part of the mall that's inaccessible to the public, a back area that was under skrukdconstruction. a self-inflicted shot to his head.

everyone breathing a big sigh of relief because this could have been so much worse. no one else was injured. alex, back to you. >> ron allen, thanks. now to the latest developments in the l.a.x. shooting investigation. court documents say the alleged gunman's roommate dropped him off at the airport friday, but that roommate had no idea what was about to happen. police say 23-year-old paul ciancia walked inside terminal 3 with an assault rifle, plenty of ammunition and a signed letter stating he wanted to kill as many tsa officers as he could saying, quote, black, white, yellow, brown, i don't discriminate. police say ciancia fatally shot a tsa officer, injured two other officers and a teacher. >> i was injured while helping an elderly man try to get to a safe area. i turned around, and there was the gunman that shot me twice. >> police shot ciancia in the face. he is still unable to communicate but his condition is improving. his family says they are shocked

and numbed by the tragedy. election day is finally here. it's now up to you, the voters. virginia's arguably the most-watched gubernatorial race. democrat terry mcauliffe holds a slight lead over attorney general ken cuccinelli. the gop has tried to make the case a referendum on obama care. bill de blasio could be the first democratic mayor. new jersey governor governor chris christie is hoping for a second term. barbara buono has so far failed to dent his popularity. mike duggen and the sheriff are vying for the job to lead detroit. in colorado, voters are weighing in on a controversial taxing scheme for the sale of legal marijuana. and 11 counties will decide whether to pursue splitting away, informing their own state. the nfl is investigating charges that a miami dolphins player was bullied by a teammate

who sent his racist and threatening texts. the dolphins suspended guard richie incognito for conduct detrimental to the team. incognito allegedly sent messages that were racist and threatening. he says the charges are false. dolphins' tackle jonathan martin left the team last week and has reportedly been bullied ever since he was a rookie last year. martin says he was pressured into paying $15,000 for incognito and teammates to go to las vegas. the players union is also investigating what may be serious problems in the dolphins' locker room culture. a bill protectingle lgbt community from workplace discrimination has cleared a big hurdle in the senate, and it succeeded with some republican support. today gay rights advocates are praising the move, but the celebrations could be short-lived. nbc's tracie potts is live in washington with more on this. good morning, tracie. >> good morning, everyone. that's because this may not even see the light of day in the republican-controlled senate. house speaker john boehner in the house, i should say, house

speaker john boehner has already said he may not even bring this to the floor. he thinks that this employment nondiscrimination act may actually cost america jobs and promote frivolous lawsuits. and so they may not even get a chance to vote. the senate, however, is expected to vote on this before the end of the week. they decided last night to move it forward with the support of seven republicans who say it is high time there was a federal law protecting gay and lesbian workers against discrimination. there's a patchwork of state laws right now. 21 states plus the district of columbia, washington, d.c., protect against this type of discrimination. if it fails here on capitol hill, the white house has not ruled out an executive order. but that would only affect federal contractors. alex? >> yeah, we should all be able to go to work and just be able to work, right? not worry about the rest of it. okay, tracie, thanks so much. one of the three women held captive in that cleveland house of horrors is speaking out in an exclusive interview with dr.

phil. michelle knight reveals how she survived 11 years in captivity. >> was there a time that you thought you'd rather just die? >> yes. but that would be taking the easy way out, and i want my son to know me as a victor, not a victim. and i want him to know that i survived, loving him. his love got me through. >> could you see his face clearly in your mind? >> yeah. >> could you hear his little voice? >> saying mommy, please don't do it. i need you. >> the interview airs this week. make sure you look before you bite that banana. a british family was forced to leave their home after noticing dozens of spiders hatching from bananas and scurrying across the table and the carpet. these creepy crawlers are brazilian wandering spiders. >> that is cute. >> what is wrong with you?

fittingly they're called banana spiders. they are considered the world's most venomous. >> oh, that. >> oh, that, yeah. bill karins with the forecast, too. i'm all messed up because of that video. i love bananas. >> it's a nightmare, right? >> oh, it's so bad. >> you bring some fruit into your house and you're laying in bed and it's creeping on your sheets. >> just do the weather. >> as far as the west, bring the umbrella in the northwest. warm front's moving through. a weak system. rain down the i-5 corridor. down along the washington/oregon border. eugene and even medford's got some showers. although we do have more showers in the forecast wednesday. thursday looks like a more significant storm system coming on shore with some higher winds and also more significant rain. that's portland all the way up through washington state. the other story is the cold temperatures. the storm system that's heading for the middle of thei dragged

cold canadian air. 32, salt lake city. temperatures that have dipped in some spots in northern nevada into the 20s. this is a significant air mass. many of the cities staying warmer than that. your forecast for your tuesday, umbrella weather in the northwest, much of california still looking dry and okay. 64 in san fran. we'll be on the coolish side in phoenix. that's cool for you. 74 for your high. that's your national forecast. yakima, we could see a little mix. otherwise look for nice conditions in the south. as far as the week ahead forecast goes, we've got the big storm thursday and our fingers crossed for the weekend. >> i'm liking the snow forecast. >> i know. >> the snow! >> thanksgiving is a big opening for a lot of western resorts. >> i know. exciting. you ought to feel my palms. they're sweating, i'm so excited.

thank you very much, bill. president obama pushes back against the health care critics. plus exclusive video obtained by nbc news of this moment when two sky-diving planes collided, unbelievable. details next.

welcome back. stories making news this morning. the parents of a northern california teen fatally shot by a sheriff's deputy last month have filed a federal lawsuit alleging the teen's civil rights were violated. 13-year-old andy lopez was carrying a pellet gun that resembled an automatic rifle. the lawsuit claims the deputy opened fire with almost no warning and that the teen was also shot while laying on the pavement. president obama is pushing back against criticism he misled the public over his health care law. the president says americans getting kicked off their insurance plans are often getting, quote, a very bad deal and that virtually every insurer is offering newer, better plans. video obtained by nbc news shows this incredible moment two

sky-diving planes collided above wisconsin. helmet cams captured the collision and the fireball as everyone begins a rapid descent. but amazingly, all nine skydivers and the pilot survived. matt lauer will be speaking with ten of them on "today." some viewers may find this surveillance video disturbing. it shows a man flicking a cigarette lighter and igniting gas vapors that caused his wife's clothes to catch fire. look at that. she was hospitalized with second and third degree burns. the man was charged with reckless conduct. i'd charge him with a few other things, thank you. and in france, a group of drunken teens stole a circus llama. took him for a ride on a commuter train and then posted the photos and videos online. serge the llama back home while the teens face some charges. i'm thinking tigers and mike tyson there. we turn to cnbc's jackie deangelis. >> some good news for apple.

a tcht&t saying active ai ifsiv. demand was driven by its mobile share service which lets people add an ipad for $10 a month. make sure it's a turkey sandwich. there's some shopping to do. kmart and sears say they'll be open at 6:00 on thanksgiving day straight through black friday. retailers are nervous about the holidays following disappointing back-to-school sales. and finally, google is offering some help. launching a live video chat service with experts offering advice on everything from cooking to home repair. sessions can run from a few minutes to several hours, and prices are set by the expert. back to you. >> jackie, thank you so much. sports is just ahead including this time-honored tradition in arkansas. it's so fun. look at that. we'll have it when we come back.

by the way, congratulations on your baby. >> thank you. >> i know exactly -- >> thank you. thank you very much. you know how good it feels. >> i know exactly how that is. after i lost running for president, i slept like a baby. >> did you? >> you know exactly how it is. >> sleep two hours, wake up and cry. sleep two hours, wake up and cry. >> that was funny, john mccain. now the latest in sports. we start with "monday night football." chicago at green bay. first quarter, packers'

quarterback aaron rodgers was sacked by bears' defensive end shane mcclelland. the smackdown injured rodgers nonthrowing left shoulder. he left the game for evaluation. then in the third quarter green bay's eddie lacy broke for tthr the defense, a 56-yard run. he did get taken down on the 1 yard line. then on the next play, they tie it at 17-17. then josh mccown connects with jefferys. chicago, 27-20. nfl.com reports that houston texans' head coach gary kubiak suffered what's being called a mini-stroke. sounds like i did, too. kubiak remains hospitalized and is being monitored after collapsing on the field during sunday night's game. john fox had aortic valve replacement surgery on monday in north carolina. jack del rio will act as interim head coach while fox recovers. president obama welcomed the 2013 stanley cup champion

chicago blackhawks to the white house. the president offered a message for those other teams in chicago. >> to the bulls, bears, cubs, white sox, i am term limited, so you guys got to get moving. i need to see you here soon. championships belong in chicago. so to the blackhawks, thank you for bringing it back home. thanks for bringing the stanley cup. well, in the junior college game, douglas of central florida community college went sky high for an amazing slam. douglas is 6'8". he reached up, though, near the top of that backboard. i really need more coffee. john browne university in arkansas scored his first basket of the season. toilet paper goes flying. this is according to team tradition. fans throw rolls of toilet paper to celebrate. and the golden eagles were given a technical foul, but they won the game and best video of the day. just ahead, marie osmond's double plastic surgery shocker

revealed next.

welcome back on this tuesday morning. the forecast as we go throughout the next couple days, a little unsettled. we're still split. we're still waiting for the storms and the rain to move a little further to the south. they still keep pestering us in the northwest as far as portland, medford and olympia. the areas of california look like they'll remain and if anything, warming up from san diego to l.a. one of the warmest spots in the entire country on wednesday will be los angeles at 83 degrees.

that's not going to stick with us. it does look like some of the cooler air will work back in, even l.a. you've got two 80s wednesday and thursday in l.a. then it cools off as we head towards saturday. they're still waiting. they want the rain. they need it in california. the mountains need it for the snow. not yet. >> they do. but it's the hometown. you get used to that. november, 80 degrees. thank you for that. in entertainment, ben stiller told the "new york times" that he thought the hair gel scene in "there's something about mary" was not believable. he kept asking the directors, how is it possible that his character wouldn't feel that gel on his ear? well, the farrelly brothers told stiller, just go with it, and of course that scene ended up becoming movie history. marie osmond revealed on "the talk" when she was in her 20s her "e" cup breast size gave her a bad back and so she had breast reduction surgery. drew barrymore and husband are expecting another child. blake lively told "vogue paris"

that she doesn't have time to work out and she cannot live without chocolate and desserts. >> that's not fair. "rolling stone," eminem addressed the homophobic slurs he uses. he says he does not associate that terminology with homophobia and that he's just being artistic. jon blames his behavioral problems for "jon & kate plus 8." next year sting and paul simon will hit the road together for a north american tour. >> i think that's going to be a big ticket. >> that would be awesome. 18 dates are scheduled for spring with more expected to be announced. and ellen brought the a cappella group pentatonics and performed "the evolution of beyonce." ♪ you looking like you like what you see ♪ ♪ ladies let 'em check up on

me ♪ ♪ to the left to the left ♪ everything you own in a box to the left ♪ ♪ in the closet that's my stuff ♪ ♪ yeah if i bought it please don't touch ♪ >> i love that. >> yeah. because it's talent. that's just pure -- the practice, they have cocoordinate. how did those five people even get together to form the group? >> exactly. and then they each have their own -- if you've ever sung, and i sung with a group of girls, three harmonic blends. five, even harder. >> you? who knew? >> you never heard of "mrs. robinson"? moving on. i'm alex witt. this is "early today," we hope it's just your first stop of the day on nbc.

leading the news, border patrol rejects curbs on force. the head of the u.s. border patrol says his agents can continue using deadly force against rock throwers in vehicles despite a government commission's review that recommends ending the practice. and in the "l.a. times" milky way may host billions of earth-sized planets. astronomers calculate in our galaxy alone, there are at least 8.8 billion stars just like our sun with earth-sized planets that are not too hot or too cold. it's called the goldilocks effect. some stories you might have missed developing overnight. denver police detained two 15-year-olds they say entered a middle school late monday armed with what appeared to be two long rifles. but police now believe they are more than likely bb guns.

earlier authorities tried to use the school's public address system to communicate with the suspects in what they describe as an hours-long cat and mouse game. overseas now, violence intensifying in iraq with 12 people killed monday alone in double suicide bombing and other attacks. violence has spiked since april, reaching levels unseen since 2008. the u.n. says at least 979 people were killed in the last month alone. and to each their own, but being trampled by cows is believed to bring prosperity and make wishes come true in central india. seriously? this is a ritual observed after the hindu festival of life. no one was injured. in china, staffers at a nature reserve go to the extra mile certainly to prepare for a panda release. this is not a silly costume. staffers are really decked out in specially-made panda suits to make sure their 2-year-old female panda will be able to live in the wilderness away from her human helpers. they even coated the panda suits with panda urine and feces. you know, they're covering up

their smell. whoo! dedication right there. >> you can do it naturally by covering yourself in what you just mentioned. or we could take a dart and tranquilize mommy in the booty and just go and bet the panda. >> what? okay. >> that sounds a little nicer than the urine and feces. unless you're the mommy. a vote today on changing the name of the washington redskins. a nonbinding resolution calling for the redskins name change will be voted in on the washington, d.c., city council. on this day in 1969, richard nixon was elected president. although it was still in doubt as reported by nbc news. >> there is nothing in the national popular vote total so far to show a big victory for either candidate. nixon is in the lead in the popular vote, but the big industrial states of the north where humphries strength lies have not been heard from. >> happy birthday to kris jenner, she's 58. bill walton turning 61. singer art garfunkel, 72.

i'm alex witt. make it a great day.

we need to go store by store to get them out. that's an ongoing operation. will probably continue the rest of the night. >> the hunt is over after a suspected mall shooting suspect is found dead in one of the largest shopping malls in the country. the dramatic ending and why that shopping center won't be opening any time soon. >> new video just in, a scare in denver middle school after two boys are seen entering an empty school overnight armed and carrying back packs. >> you can only imagine the joy he brings to the check point. always joking, laughing. always trying to get out of something. >> plus, honoring the fallen, the stirring late night tribute to the